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  5. Kanaa review- Watch it for the brilliant performance of Aishwarya Rajesh

Kanaa review- Watch it for the brilliant performance of Aishwarya Rajesh

Kanaa is about an underdog winning against odds and the film even talks about gender equality

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Source: Sify

By: MOVIEBUZZ

Critic's Rating: 3/5

Wednesday 19 December 2018

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Movie Title

Kanaa

Director

Arunraja Kamaraj

Star Cast

Aishwarya Rajesh, Sathyaraj, Sivakarthikeyan

Debutant director Arunraja Kamaraj gives us a film on the plight of farmers in Tamilnadu against the backdrop of a sports movie. It is about an underdog winning against odds and the  film even talks about gender equality. These parallel tracks merge in the climax and to be honest the director has succeeded in his first attempt

The film is all about Kousalya aka Kousi (Aishwarya Rajesh) who dreams to play in Indian cricket team not only to make her country proud and her passion for the game but also to bring a smile on his dad Murgesan’s (Sathyaraj) face. As a kid, Kausi sees that her dad who is an ardent cricket fan shed tears after Indian team loses the match whereas he was not that bothered much about the demise of his dad. 

This incident motivates Kausi to become a cricketer and being a village dweller, she is subjected to face a lot of hurdles including an insecure mom who feels that her daughter’s life will be spoiled if she continues to play cricket with a bunch of young boys and the family’s pride will suffer. Murugesan who is a passionate farmer has his own problems and struggles. Though banks come forward to give loans in the beginning, slowly they start torturing Murugesan after drought in the delta region and poor crop yield makes it difficult for him to repay the loan. Will the dad and daughter overcome all the hurdles in their respective professions?

As said earlier, the screenplay of Arunraja Kamaraj gives equal importance to  cricket and farmers in India with his protagonists-Aishwarya Rajesh and Sathyaraj. The first half of the film has been superbly packed with scenes highlighting these two issues (brilliant work by editor Ruben) and the intermission cut also raises the curiosity on what is going to happen next?

But the second half moves at sluggish pace as the film falls into a template sports drama with Kausi reaching the academy in Karnataka. All the characters that you see here are cliched and then enters Nelson Dhilipkumar (Sivakarthikeyan), a former Indian player who lost an eye in a crucial match and is now the new coach of the women's cricket team who are preparing for world cup. Nelson motivates the team after initial issues and Kausi gains confidence to give a stunning comeback in the climax that engages and involves you! 

Director Arunraja Kamaraj shows so much promise with his dialogues like ‘Intha Ulagam Jeichruvenu Sonna Kekathu… Aana Jeichavan Sonna Kekkum’ but the film has its own flaws, as it gets into the preachy mode very often. However, the general audiences may love these elements and hence, we can call Kanaa a crowd-pleasing sports drama!

The film belongs to Aishwarya Rajesh. Her raw, nuanced and dedicated performance makes you root for Kousalya Murugesan. Sathyaraj is superb as Murugesan. Sivakarthikeyan in an extended cameo as a serious, mature man looks quite unconvincing while new face Darshan who is in love with Kousi is unwanted and he looks wooden. The rest of the supporting cast is apt. The girl who acted as the adolescent Aishwarya is superb, the innocent smile on her face and the aggressiveness she shows in chasing her dream make us connect well with the film.  

The climax cricket match is well executed (brilliant job by cinematographer Dinesh Krishnan and art director Ilaiyaraaja) and all the players have done a good job. Music composer Dhibu Ninan Thomas is another big strength for the film, his background score and the two motivational tracks—‘Oonjala Oonjala’ and ‘Savaal’ help the film to raise up from the dull moments in the second half. 

Overall, Kanaa has a predictable premise and you know exactly which way the story’s going to go, but is definitely a good watch this holiday season for the topical message and fine performances of Aishwarya Rajesh. 

Kanaa review: Verdict: Crowd-pleasing sports drama

Reactions from Social Media

Sidhu @sidhuwrites
#Kanaa: @dhibuofficial's music is the biggest pillar of the film. His elevating BGMs with different variants of Oonjala up the ante and make the proceedings enticing. @AntonyLRuben also deserves praise for bringing about a real-match feel to the cricketing portions.

Haricharan Pudipeddi @pudiharicharan
#Kanaa is a praiseworthy sports drama about dreaming big and winning against all odds. @aishu_dil in yet another memorable role delivers a convincing performance as a cricketer and she's aced the cricket portions. @Siva_Kartikeyan in an extended but important cameo shines.

bharathnt @bharath1
A socially concious sports film. Strong message conveyed in an engaging way. Congrats @Arunrajakamaraj for a gud directorial debut. @aishu_dil & #Sathyaraj dazzle. Both given their best. With sport as backdrop, the movie portrays travails of farmers well. #Kanaa @Siva_Kartikeyan

Surendhar MK @SurendharMK
Liked #Kanaa. Packed with a lot of good moments and @Arunrajakamaraj makes a neat directorial debut. @aishu_dil's hard work to play the role of a cricketer is visible on screen and she made those scenes quite authentic. @dhibuofficial's score too anchors the film

Kaushik LM @LMKMovieManiac
#Kanaa - My rating 3.5/5. Well made and good intentioned sports - social drama. @aishu_dil has lived her role.. @Arunrajakamaraj makes a confident directorial debut, @Siva_Kartikeyan presents a neat product with his team, #Sathyaraj rocks yet again. Technically strong. HIT!

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